Never to Be
by Jnarissa-Reilea
Summary: You all know Prince Roald, heir to Tortall, son of Jonathon and Thayet. The boy with the coal-black hair, the mystical blue eyes, the image of his father, the noble prince, the one they look to. What you don't know is his secret desire: For a fellow knigh


Never to Be: Chapter One  
  
-=-=-=-  
  
Summary: You all know Prince Roald, heir to Tortall, son of Jonathon and Thayet. The boy with the coal-black hair, the mystical blue eyes, the image of his father, the noble prince, the one they look to. What you don't know is his secret desire: For a fellow knight.  
  
-=-=-=-  
  
Warnings: Slash, OOC and possibly more, which I'll warn about in furture chapters.  
  
Disclaimer: Characters, places, all of it, is Tamora's. Not mine.  
  
-=-=-=-  
  
Chapter One: Day-dreaming.  
  
-=-=-=-  
  
"Your highness? Roald? Are you okay?" A kind voice asked.  
  
Roald snapped out of his daze, he's been staring out the castle window, over the wall and towards the forest.  
  
He was in a classroom, he sighed and looked up at the person in front of him. He was taken aback by the closeness of Sir Myles of Olau, a teacher of his.  
  
"Sir Myles?" Roald grasped, shocked that he had day-dreamt in his class. He loved sir Myles' classes. He was going to get hell about this from his father.  
  
"Roald? Are you alright?" Myles asked, standing from leaning on the desk.  
  
Roald nodded, blushing slightly as he noticed all the eyes in the room were on him.  
  
Myles carried on with the lesson. "Roald, you never day-dream," said an elegant voice beside him.  
  
Roald's breathing quickened as he realsied who he had been day-dreaming about was sitting next to him.  
  
"I... I slipped off, I suppose," Roald said, turning to his neighbour, Neal.  
  
Nealan of Queenscove, tortall's most intriguing specimen. With his sharp tongue, smarts, loyalty and good-nature had captured his heart; Not that anyone knew about that.  
  
How could he tell anyone? He had once considered telling Kel, Keladry of Mindelan, but she might have taken offence because he was doing it becuase she was The Girl, plus, she was Neal's best friend. What if she told him? Not that he didn't trust Kel, it was just complicated.  
  
Neal put a hand Roald's shoulder, causing his stomach to twine and taking all his self-control not to reach up and caress the hand.  
  
"Roald? It's the end of class," Neal told him.  
  
Roald looked up into the older-boys eyes, they were magnificent. Pools of green that you could just drown in.  
  
"Oh," Roald said, collecting his things, embarrassed that he had slipped off again.  
  
"Roald," A voice called as he was about to exit the classroom; It was Myles.  
  
Roald hung his head and turned. "Yes, sir?" He asked, politely, knowing what was coming.  
  
"Roald, you can't keep slipping away during classes, your mother and father are rather worried about your grades..."  
  
"I know," Roald interrupted, 'I'm really sorry, I just..." He paused, he had almost let something slip to sir Myles. He quickly chose a different approach. "Are you going to tell my parents?" Roald wondered aloud.  
  
Sir Myles sighed. "Roald, I'm sorry, but I'll have to."  
  
Roald hung his head again. "i understand."  
  
Sir Myles clapped him on the shoulder, holding his eyes before turned to collect paper from his desk.  
  
Roald knew he was free to leave. He hesitated a moment then rushed out the door. Meeting up with Kel and Neal in the corridor around the corner.  
  
-=-=-=-  
  
"Son, day-dreaming again?" His father sighed, shaking his head, looking disappointed. One thing that got Roald was disappointment, he wasn't sure if his father knew that, or if he was truly disappointed. Both seemed to hurt anyway.  
  
"I'm sorry," Roald began, but his mother cut in.  
  
"What is it that you're always day-dreaming about? Do you not want to become a knight? Is that it?"  
  
"Of course I want to be a knight," Roald said, almost rudely. He looked at his feet. "I... It's just..."  
  
"It's just what?" His father demanded.  
  
Roald scowled. "I can catch it up," He told them, changing his approach, as he usual had to, to avoid certain subjects. His parent had no idea of his feelings for Neal, and they never would. They were currently organising a marriage with a Yamani Princess, it would bring the empires together, he couldn't let them down.  
  
It's not just that, Roald," His mother told him. "Lord Wyldon says you've been lacking in practice, he thinks something is distracing you."  
  
Of course I'm being distracted, How can anyone concentrate with Neal twisting and lunging near them? He wanted to scream, but held his tongue. No-one would understand. He was a prince, crowned prince, heir to the throne. He couldn't be... gay.  
  
-=-=-=-  
  
He rushed into Neal's room, puffing from the long run.  
  
"Sorry, I'm late," He puffed to the study group.  
  
"It's alright," Neal told him, he patted the space next to him. "Take a seat."  
  
Roald mentally took a deep breath and took a seat next to Neal.  
  
Neal's enticing smell filled his nose, bloking his senses. He sudden;y realised he was staring at the boy.  
  
"You alright?" Neal asked.  
  
Roald nodded, "Sure," He croaked.  
  
Roald looked around the room. Kel was sitting on Neal's other side. Quite a few were missing from they study group. Seaver and Merric were laying on the bed, but the rest were all gone.  
  
"Where is everyone?" Roald asked, blinking a little too much.  
  
Neal shrugged, "Lord Wyldon is having them complete something for them, we're it for tonight."  
  
Roald nodded again and set up his left-over classwork to be finished.  
  
It was after a while that suddenly Merric jumped up and looked around frantically. "Where's my notes?" He asked, still looking.  
  
Seaver shrugged.  
  
"I must have left them in my room," He told them and jumped off the bed.  
  
"Hey, I need your mathematics paper," Seaver told him, getting up also.  
  
They both left to hunt down Merric's sheets.  
  
"Hey Roald, what did your parents want?" Neal asked, looking at him, his green eyes kind.  
  
"Nothing," Roald lied, "The usual."  
  
Neal nodded. "Oh, I see," And looked back at him book.  
  
Suddenly two sparrows flew through the open window and landed in front of kill. Cheeping like mad.  
  
"What's happening?" Neal asked, looking at Kel. Roald gazed at the birds, shocked. They were fascinating.  
  
Kel leapt to her feet. "Somethings happened, I have to go with them," Kel told the two boys and raced out the open door, closing it behind herself.  
  
Roald suddenly realised he was alone with Neal, and that Neal was gazing at him.  
  
Roald couldn't read his expression, he'd never seen one like that on Neal's face before.  
  
"Hey, have you done this before?" Neal asked, pointing to a problem on his page.  
  
I looked at it, having to lean against Neal's arm to read it properly.  
  
My breath caught in my throat as I realised Neal had bent closer to me.  
  
I shook my head, "No, I don't remember it," He told Neal.  
  
Neal straightened slightly, still gazing at Roald.  
  
"Damn, I'm stumped."  
  
"Like you'd be stumped," Roald told him. "You're smarter than all of us."  
  
Neal shrugged, but a blush rose in his cheeks slightly.  
  
Neal never blushed like that, unless, he was talking about some girl, his latest crush.  
  
"I..." Roald began but he was cut off as he left warm, plush lips press against his. As if on instinct he moved his lips with those that were on his.  
  
The lips left his and Roald was left, breathless, staring into the cream complextion of Neal, whom had just kissed him.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Not very long, but not over yet.  
  
Review and tell me what you think, cookies if you do.  
  
-Thai. 


End file.
